Dehumidifier control



Oct 1942; F. R. HIGLEY ETAL 2,297,763

.DEHUMIDIFIER CONTROL Filed Dec. 27, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. FRANK R. H/GLEY IND Y ERIC HYDE V Arromqgys Oct. 6, 1942 F. R. HIGLEY EI'AL 2,297,763

DEHUIIIDIFIER CONTROL Filed Dec. 27, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY 5 Patented Oct. 6, 1942 DEHUMIDIFIER CONTROL Frank R. Higley, Cleveland Heights, and Eric H. Ryden, Bedlord, Ohio, assignors to The Bryant Heater Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corpora-- tion oi Ohio Application December 27, 1938, Serial No. 248,020

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in dehumidifier controls, that is to say controls for regulating the degree of heat used in the activation of the adsorbent material. The invention also includes a novel form of humidostat which may ilnd utility in other connections.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a humidity responsive instrument or humidostat which is dependent for operation upon the weight of the moisture adsorbed by a quantity oi adsorbent material.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a humidostat which is accurate and dependable in its operation for an indefinite length of time and yet simple and inexpensive.

Another object is the provision of simple controls in which our improved humidostat constitutes the governing element.

Still another object is the provision of a control in which a part or all of the supply of moisture adsorbent material employed in a dehumidiiler is'itseli used as a part of the humidity responsive means.

Other objects and ieatures of novelty will ap pear as we proceed with the description oi those embodiments of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, we have ilresilient under face is attached to the lower side of the diaphragm concentrically with stem ll. The casting ill includes an intermediate wall ll which is provided with an openingfor the reception of a sleeve i8 which has an annular seat IQ for cooperation with the valve piece IS. The seat l9 and the valve piece i6 when in the positionillustrated completely close oi! the flow of fuel through the valve. Closureof the valve is efiected by introducing gas pressure above the diaphragm l3 by suitable means well known in the art, not herein disclosed, so that the pressure above and belowthe diaphragm is equalized when the weight will close the valve by gravity. Opening the valve is accomplished by exhausting gas from the chamber above the diaphragm, whereupon the gas pressure underneath I the diaphragm raises it and opens the valve.

lustrated in the accompanying drawings, in I which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view partially in vertical section of a gas line throttle valve with means for controlling the same comprising our novel humidostat, and intended for use in connection with a dehumidifier.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a different form of the invention wherein the humidostat voperates on "on and oil control.

stat for controlling the heater for theactivatlng air.

' =1n Fig. 1 of the drawings we have illustrated a throttling valve comprising three castings I0, I I and II which may be secured together by suitable means. The valve is interposed in a gas, line in such manner that the flow oi gas shall be in the direction of the arrows. Between the castings II and Ii thereis mounted a flexible diaphragm ii at the center oi which there is clamped a depending valve stem ll. At the top of this stem above the diaphragm there is also clamped a circular plate I! which iunctionsas a light weight. An annular valve piece I with a Between the castings H and I2 there is interposed another diaphragm to which is resiliently attached the upper end of a central pin 2i that is free to slide through a central opening in the casting Ii. The latter casting divides the valve into an upper diaphragm compartment and a lower diaphragm compartment, and in the latter compartment there is a second weight 22 which isheavier than weight ID. This weight 22 has a central opening loosely receiving the pin 2| which is headed on its lower end and is there- 7 by adapted to support the weight.

The stem l4 carries a mushroom valve 23. In

the position in which it is illustrated in Fig. 1

this valve 23 has no eiiect, but when raised more or less above that position it cooperates with the sleeve I8 to throttle the gas flow to a greater or lesser extent depending upon the height to which it is raised. when there is no pressure in the chamber 24 beneath diaphragm 20 weight 22 rests upon weight I! 'and the two weights together oppose the gas pressure beneath diaphragm ll, so that the diaphragm and weights may be said to iioat on the gas beneath the diaphragm, the valve 23 being raised somewhat and therefore acting to cut down the flow 01 gas to a certain extent dependent upon the mass of the weights I! and 22. In this manner the gas pressure at the burner may be regulated and maintained substantially constant. A valve of the general character of that herein illustrated and having this pressure regulating function is disclosed and claimed in Fox Patent 2,111,560,

dium used is gas.

be correspondingly decreased, thereby permitting that valve to rise and throttle the gas flow to an i and hence is not herein described in any consid-' erable detail.

Inthe present instance the pressure maintained in chamberifi of the valve is controlled by our novel humidostat, and the pressure me- A branch conductor in continuous communication with the gas supply leads to a gas-tight box 26 which may be mounted at any convenient place where it will be exposed to the air to be conditioned, as for instance in one of the rooms of the premises. A second branch conductor 21 extends from the box 26 back to the main vave where it is connected through aunion 28 and a drilled passage 29 with chamber 24. The union-281s also connected with a pipe 30 in which there is a bleed hole 3|, this pipe terminating at or near a gas burner that may be employed for heating the activating air of a, dehumidifying apparatus (not shown).

The rate of flow of gas through the branch conductors 25 and H is controlled by a valve 32 at the lower end of a stem 33 which is slidably mounted in a guide carried. by box 2b. This stem has secured thereto a collar to, the underside of which is engaged by a bifurcated extremity on a lever 35 that is pinned or keyed to a shaft 36 which is journaled in the walls of the box 26' and extends therebeyond at one end. Lever 36 is biased downwardly, as by means of a coil spring 31 the compression of whichmay be adjusted by means oi a screw 38 threadedly mounted in the top of the box. Outside of the box there is secured to shaft 36 a weight arm comprising a foraminous container 39 which is filled with moisture adsorbent material, for example silica gel or activated alumina.

When the moisture content of the air surrounding the container be is low the container because of its light weight will swing upward and the lever 35 will swing downward opening valve 32 wide and permitting a free flow of gas into chamber 26, whereupon pressure will build up in chamber 26 causing pin 2! to lift weight 22, which will permit gas pressure beneath dia phragm it to raised throttle valve 28 to a nearly closed position. Thus the flow of fuel to the dehumidifier burner will be cut down to meet the reduced requirements of the apparatus. On the other hand when the moisture content of the air surrounding'container 39 is high the moisture adsorbed by the material within the container will increase the mass of the weight arm and the latter will swingdovmward, causing lever 35 to raise valve 32 toward closed position. Now the pressure in chamber 253 will be reduced, weight 22 will be permitted to descend and rest upon weight 15, and the two weights will depress throttle valve 23 to permit a higher rate of flow of gas to the burner to thereby meet the eddi tional load put upon the apparatus.

At the free end of container 39 we may mount a pointer dc to run over a scale ill which may be graduated in units to indicate the degree of humidity in the atmosphere. In effect the instrument weighs the moisture in the container 8t, and the valve 32 is affected by the condition of balance of the weighing instrument. The instrumeni; is therefore a humidostat which funchumidity in the conductor 48 does not exceed a In that form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2 a diaphragm valve of the on and ofi type, somewhat like that of the Fox patent referred to above, is-indicated' at 62. A certain amount of gas is always permitted to flow to the burner 43 through a by-pass 44 around valve 42. 45 is a solenoid valve of conventional form adapted when energized to reduce pressure above the diaphragm and permit the main valve to open, and when deenergized to build up pressure above the diaphragm for closing the valve. does not contain throttling means in this case. A manual control valve is indicated at 46.

In this second form of the invention a box 41, similar to box 26, is mounted upon an air conductor 48 in the return side of the circulating line in front or an opening through the'wall oi the conductor. A shaft 36', similar to shaft 36, carries a thin disk-shaped container 49 comprising two screens set rather close together, the space between them being filled with moisture adsorbent material. Air passing through the conductor towards the dehumidifier of course acts upon the adsorbent material and quickly efiects changes in the weight of the contained adsorbent. In this form of the invention the lever 35', the spring 3? and the screw 38' are substantially the same in structure and function as the corresponding parts in Fig. 1, except that the lever 35' at its free extremity has an upwardly extending projection which is adapted to engage the lower one of two spring metal contact fingers 5d and 5! that are normally separated, that is to say they are separated when the predetermined value. The fingers 5t and 5| are connected electrically with the solenoid if by suitable conductors including the wires 52 and 53 respectively,

When the moisture content of the air in conductor it is high, container 49 descends and raises lever 35', causing contact fingers and 5! to come together and close the circuit through solenoid t5. Valve 62 then opens and gas flows to the burner not only through the by-pass M but also through the valve (52 to produce maxi mum flow. When the humidostat opens contact fingers tit and El on the other hand, in response to the presence of drier air in conductor (it, the solenoid valve 65 causes the closing of main valve :12, whereupon the burner is served only by the by-pass l-t and its fiame is cut down proportionately. In this form of the invention therefore there .is no gradual throttling of the gas burner, the onand 0d condition of the valve 32 merely shifting the burner from fully on position to one-half of some other fractional part or full operation.

In Fig. 3 we have illustrated a special application of our invention wherein the dehumidifier 5t. Activating air enters at 57, flowing up into.

the casing around the burner 58. Purging air enters at The gas line is provided with a diaphragm valve 59, similar to that illustrated in Fig. l and functioning to throttle gasflow in the manner heretofore described with respect to Fig. 1..

Within the casing there is a drum Eicontaining moisture adsorbent material, the interior of The valveing air into compartment 63 of the drum and the flow of activating and purging air into the compartment 64 of the drum, the baffle 66 separating the activating air from the purging air. Blowers, not shown, are located'in a front end wall of the unit for inducing the flow of air in the directions above indicated. For a more complete disclosure and explanation of the dehumidifier construction reference should be had to the copending application, of Frank R. Higley, Serial No. 248,019, filed of even date herewith.

The drum 61 is supported by two parallel, small diameter shafts 68 and 69 that may be supported at their ends in pairs of rollers and 1|, one pair only for each shaft being illustrated in Fig. 3. The two pairs of rollers 10 have fixed bearings, but the rollers II are carried by a bracket 12 which is pivotally mounted at '13. The side of the bracket opposite the pivot or hinge I3 is supported upon one or more coil springs 14 through adjusting screws 15. An arm 16 of the bracket engages the upper side of a lever arm TI that is fixed to a shaft 36" journaled in a box 26" that is similar in construction and function to the box 26 of Fig. 1

and contains apparatus of the same character. Branch pipes 25" and 21" connect the box 26" to the gas line and to the main valve in the same manner asin the case of the branch pipes 25 and 21 of Fig. 1. In order to revolve the drum power may be applied to rotate either one or both of the shafts 68 and 69. To thatv end a small motor 18 may be employed to drive a pulley 19 on shaft 68 by means of a belt or chain 60, and shafts 68 and 69 may be operatively interconnected by means of a belt or chain 8|.

, 12 with its associated parts weighs a proportionate share of the total mass of the drum and contents, and the variation in this weight is used to manipulate a valve in the box 26" similar to the valve 32 of Fig. 1, by means of which the gas flow in gas pipes 25" and 21" is controlled for the purpose of throttling the flow of gas to the main burner and maintaining the flame in the latter at the proper intensity at all times.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In, dehumidii'ying apparatus, a rotatable drum carrier for moisture adsorbent material, a pair of spaced supports for said carrier, one of said supports being mounted to have limited up and down travel in response to variations in the weight of the moisture content of the adsorbent material in the carrier, a heater for activating the material in the carrier, and means actuated by the up and down movement of said last named support for controlling the operation of said heater.

2. In dehumidifying apparatus, a carrier for moisture adsorbent material, said carrier being mounted to revolve continuously and to expose the adsorbent material during each revolution first to the air to be conditioned and thereafter to the activating air, a heater for the activating air, supports for said carrier, one of said supports being mounted to have limited up and down travel in response to variations in the weight of the moisture content of the adsorbent material in the carrier, and means actuated in response to the up and down movement of said last named support and carrier for controlling the operation of said heater.

3. In dehumidifying apparatus, a rotating drum in which the adsorbent material is carried, a pair of spaced supports for said drum, one of the said supports being mounted to have limited up and down travel in response to variations in the weight of the moisture content of the adsorbent material in the drum, a burner for activating the material in the drum, and means actuated by the up and down movement of said last named support for varying the flow of fuel to said burner.

4. In dehumidifying apparatus, a drum in which the adsorbent material is carried, a heater for activating said material, a pair of spaced shafts upon which the drum rests, means for rotating one of said shafts to revolve the drum, one of said shafts being mounted to have limited up and down travel in response to variations in the weight of the moisture content of the adsorbent material in the drum, and means actuated in response to the up and down movement of the last named shaft and the drum for controlling the operation of said heater.

5. In dehumidifying apparatus, a drum in which the adsorbent material is carried, a heater for activating said material, resilient mounting means supported said drum for rotation about its axis, said resilient mounting means being adapted to yield in response to increases in the weight of the moisture content of the adsorbent material in the drum, means for rotating the drum, and means acting in response to the up and down movements of the drum for controlling the operation of said heater.

6. In 'dehumidifying apparatus, a rotatable 

